Tuesday, October 30, 2012

George Lucas just sold the rights to Star Wars. I know what you're thinking: I wish he'd done this fifteen years ago, too, but let's move on.

In the interest of accuracy, I should probably say that George Lucas sold the rights to Lucasfilm. Actually, you know what? No one gives a damn about those details. Okay, maybe there are a handful of Willow fans with bulbs lighting up over their heads, but let's keep our eye on the prize here. And that prize is Star Wars in the hands of someone who might just possibly understand it. Oh, I guess Indiana Jones is falling into new hands, too. But Ford can't keep making those forever, and no one cares about that character if another actor has the part.

So then. Who's the lucky buyer? Who else has four billion dollars in pocket change? Disney.

Yeah, yeah. Before you start whining about how the mouse is going to ruin your childhood, there are a few things you should maybe keep in mind:

I've got no clue whether this is going to be amazing or garbage. Disney's track record has certainly been mixed. On one hand, they made Avengers and John Carter. On the other, there's Haunted Mansion, Prince of Persia, and... well... most of their other live-action movies.

But there's also a generation of filmmakers who have dreamed of the chance to work on a Star Wars movie. They could basically call any director on the planet and get them on board. Or they could head over to the Pixar offices and see what Andrew Stanton's up to.